Electrical contacts of many designs and configurations are known which have a pin contact section at an end thereof or which have a socket contact section matable with a pin contact section. Many such contacts are applied to ends of wires to terminate the conductors thereof such as by crimping or by soldering procedures. In several of such contacts, the contact is terminated to the conductor by inserting the stripped conductor end into a barrel-shaped section at one end of the contact, with the contact having at the other end a contact section having either a pin shape or a socket shape matable with, and unmatable from, a pin shape of a complementary contact to define an electrical connection. Such contacts are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,564,487; 4,275,948; 4,373,773 and 4,434,552.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,685,761 is disclosed a socket contact matable with a pin contact, wherein the socket contact includes a rearward section which is machined from solid stock to define a wire barrel at one end having a bore of large enough diameter to permit insertion of a conductor end thereinto for crimping (or soldering), and a small diameter bore at the other end. A forward section is stamped from sheet metal and formed into a tubular shape, and includes a plurality of spring arms extending to converging leading ends to define a pin-receiving socket contact section at one end, and including at the other end a C-shaped section having a diameter greater than the diameter of the small diameter bore of the rearward section. The forward section is affixable to the rearward section by forcing the C-shaped section into the small diameter blind bore, with the reduction in diameter of the C-shaped section being sufficient to create a substantial friction fit within the bore, securing the rearward and forward sections together. A hood member is then preferably secured to the assembly over the forward section by being crimped to the rearward section at an annular groove thereof, to establish a protective shroud about the spring arms and to align the mating pin prior to engagement with the spring arms. The rearward section may be formed of copper alloy such as by screw machining, or of soft copper such as by cold-forming techniques. The forward section is said to be stamped of beryllium copper; such alloy provides substantial spring properties necessary for functioning of the spring arms during mating with a pin section and which also enables the sufficient level of force-fit of the C-shaped section into the small diameter bore.